Out of Nowhere
by Blue Interior
Summary: Katia Versoni is an island girl, raised in the Caribbean. Aside from that, she's a doctor, a dancer, and an absolute riot at a party. When she opens a letter from her biological mother on her 18th birthday, it suddenly becomes her mission to find this woman and make her remember her little girl. On the way, she finds a second family, just as dear as the first.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I know I've been a bit...absent...lately but I'm going to try to be a little better. I've got serious block about the other two, so I thought I'd introduce one of my all time favorite OCs Katia Versoni.  
I hope y'all love her as much as I do. REVIEW!**

 **~Blue**

* * *

The first thing I remember is the long plane ride from our home in Tuscany, Italy, to the tiny Caribbean island of San Marie. Mama was a chef, and she already had a job in one of the hotels, and Papa was marine biologist, there to study the marine life in the surrounding reef. It was just the five of us: me, Mama, Papa, my sister Nadia, and my brother Alexei. Not very Italian names, I know, but the three of us were adopted from Russia when the economy started to go downhill after the fall of the soviets.

But my favorite thing about my parents was that they we were linguists. Our parents were fluent in roughly 8 languages between them, and were determined to pass that on to us. By the time of the big move (we were still very little) we already spoke Italian, English, and our mother tongue, Russian.  
Most parents would have given their children coloring books and snacks on a long plane ride, but we had French homework, Spanish flashcards, and long division on our tray tables.

Of course, Nadia was trying to speak to the young woman seated next to her in rapid-fire Russian, confusing the poor thing half to death. " _Nravitsya li vam samolety? Eto moy pervyy raz. Eto moya sestra, Katya. I moy brat Aleksey. Mama povarom. Ty gotovish'? Papa uchenyy. My iz Italii. Otkuda vy?_ "

Papa wrapped a patient arm around her shoulders, ruffling her blonde hair. " _Nadia, la lasciano in pace. Lei sta cercando di godere il suo volo, cara_."

He turned to the woman. "Apologies,"

She looked shocked. "She speaks two languages?"

"Three!" Nadia announced proudly. She held out her French and Spanish work. "We're working on French and Spanish, too!"

I remember the woman looking absolutely beside herself with excitement. She reached out and pet Nadia's curls, and in a fit of jealousy, I grabbed Mama's hand and put it on my hair. Alexei smiled.

"Kat, I know what you're up to," I stuck my tongue out at him. He scooped me out of my seat and put me in his lap.

The last thing I remember about the flight was falling asleep in Alexei's arms.

When we landed in Guadalupe, I was very confused. This wasn't San Marie, and I expressed that very forcefully. Mama, ever the saint, just scooped me up and into her warm embrace. "Oh, cara, this is just the last stop before we are finally _presso la nostra nuova casa_." Satisfied, I let myself be carried to the dock, where we boarded the ferry to San Marie.

Mama let me down and Alexei and Nadia swooped in, taking my hands and leading me to the railing. We squealed as the spray wet our clothes and hair. My siblings and I were quite the mix match set...me with my scarlet ringlets and emerald green eyes, Alexei with his wild dirty blond mane and grey eyes, and Nadia with her golden locks and blue eyes. It was quite obvious we weren't real siblings at all, especially since our parents were dark haired and dark eyed and dark skinned. Whenever it came up, though, Mama and Papa just smiled and said we were family in every way that counted.

Soon, the island came into view, a vision of green and pink and yellow, and white sandy beaches. People in vibrant colored shirts went about their lives on the docks and around the market stalls. I stared, enthralled.

That, I think, was the moment I fell hopelessly in love with San Marie.

* * *

The Versoni Family moved into a large villa on the beach in the quaint town of Honoré. I was still too little to go to school, but Nadia and Alexei went, and still kept up the linguistics at home. They came home with friends one day, Fidel and Camille. They were natives and very, very close with the only two friends in my life. They were nice enough, though, and Fidel was very handsome.

Fidel and Alexei went outside to play football (proper football, not that American trash) and Camille and Nadia went upstairs to paint their nails and talk about boys. I just sat in the living room on the floor, apparently looking very torn, because Mama and Papa sat themselves down on the floor on either side of me. "Katia, _cara_ , what's wrong?"

"Nadia and 'Lexei don't love me anymore." Frustrated, but unable to express it, I stabbed my toy stethoscope into the thick Persian carpet.

"Oh, no, Katia, that's not true...they just have other friends now." I frowned.

"I don't,"

Mama and Papa exchanged a worried look. After a moment of thinking, Mama got up with all the grace and beauty that came so easily to her. She came back with a thick book. "Maria," Papa frowned at her, "another language so soon? She's not even finished with French yet!"

Mama swatted him.

"No, this is a medical textbook. Katia, I want you to read this, and tell me what you think." I eagerly grabbed at the book, tearing through the pages.

I finished the first chapter with Mama's help by dinner, sitting on the dark wood counters as she cooked something straight from home - Tuscany.

The spices were vibrant and rich, the tomatoes bursting under her touch, everything falling perfectly into place, melding and joining by my mother's command. She used the wooden spoon with her initials branded into the handle. "Res-resper...Mama! What's this word?"

She leaned in.

"Respiratory. It's the system in your body that controls your breathing."

"That makes sense. Lungs, right?"  
"Right," Mama looked surprised at me. "Katia, how far have you gotten in that book?"

I held up the book to show her my place. Frowning, she took it from me.

"Kat, what's the largest organ?"

"Skin,"

"What's in blood?"

"Red an' white blood cells,"

" _Lucio! Viene qui! Katia leggere quasi l'intero capitolo già. Si può rispondere a tutte le mie domande._ " Papa came in, glasses askew on his nose, lab report in hand.

" _Si può davvero?_ " Was he really questioning me?

"Yes!" I insisted. They exchanged a look, but said nothing more of the matter.

* * *

 **Ok! So, if you watch Death in Paradise on BBC, you'll notice a _bunch_ of crossovers in this story but not enough to make it a real crossover, or affect the story all that much.**

 **REVIEW!**

 **~love, Blue**

 **Guide:**

 **Nravitsya li vam samolety? Eto moy pervyy raz. Eto moya sestra, Katya. I moy brat Aleksey. Mama povarom. Ty gotovish'? Papa uchenyy. My iz Italii. Otkuda vy? - Do you like airplanes? This is my first time. This is my sister, Katya. And my brother Alexei. Mom's a cook. Do you cook? Dad is a scientist. We are from Italy. Where are you from?**

 **Nadia, la lasciano in pace. Lei sta cercando di godere il suo volo, cara. - Nadia, leave her alone. She is trying to enjoy her flight, dear.**

 **presso la nostra nuova casa - at our new home**

 **cara - dear**

 **Lucio! Viene qui! Katia leggere quasi l'intero capitolo già. Si può rispondere a tutte le mie domande. - Lucio! Come here! Katia read almost the entire chapter already. She can answer all my questions.**

 **Si può davvero? - Can you really?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I think this might be the fastest I've ever updated! I love Katia so much guys, honestly haha.**

 **I loved the little bit of feedback, by the way! I'm so glad you guys love her, too...keep telling me what you think! I LOVE getting feedback from y'all. It means the world to me, really.**

* * *

San Marie became the only place I could ever imagine to be very very quickly. I even found two little friends: Florence Cassell and JP Hooper. Like Camille, Florence was half French, but all island at heart, and JP was all sweetness. My siblings and Cam and Fidel let us younger ones traipse along in their footsteps, splashing in the waves and stringing shells on a cord to make necklaces for our mothers.

As soon as we were old enough, we all enrolled in Notre Dame school in Honoré, run by a man I assumed to be the devil himself: Headmaster Dunham. He was horrid, with bad breath and the original evil eye. JP, Flo, and I were scared to death of him, and I often left school clutching Alexei's hand so tight he lost feeling. My first day was rather traumatic, what with me being 5 and all, and the Headmaster being a hellbeast.

Our teacher was rather nice, I supposed, for how Lex and Fidel described their teachers. Mdme. Belvaux was small and blonde and wrinkly, with loads of clinking charms and no less than a half dozen earrings in each ear. Her hair was piled up on top of her head and tied with a violently pink ribbon and a frankly alarming amount of hairspray.

Mama dropped me off with a lingering kiss on the cheek, and a plea to be good. I smiled, holding tightly onto my brand new Princess Leia lunchbox. Florence waved from her seat and I tottered over, fast as a five year old could while wearing an enormous backpack. We sat and giggled for a little while, and Mdme. Belvaux hung up my bag and lunchbox.

Then, Headmaster Dunham decided he was going to start off his day on a lovely note by scaring the living daylights out of some poor little children in their first year of primary school. He came in, brooding and sullen, and utterly terrifying. Florence grabbed my hand. "Madame Belvaux, children, good morning."

"Good morning, Headmaster," Mdme Belvaux seemed just as frightened as the rest of us, shrinking into herself and all her charms ceasing to clink.

"I assume that none of you are familiar with our rules, so I will teach you now. You will not speak until spoken to. You will not be disrespectful -"

JP raised his little hand, "Sir, what does that mean?"

"Hooper!" He bellowed. "What did I just say?" His face went red and poor little JP reeled back. I held out an arm, shielding him behind me. The headmaster straightened his collar and returned to his spiel.

"You will not try to be superior to your peers. You will not be arrogant. You will not be-"

And on and on and on and on he went, this whole long list of things you couldn't do, couldn't say, couldn't be. Florence and I exchanged a look - was he serious? We sighed and set our chins in our palms. Bad choice.

"Miss Versoni! Miss Cassell! Posture! You are young ladies, now act like it." He picked up a yardstick and snapped it in half over his knee. I scrambled back, but Headmaster Dunham was faster.

He grabbed me and held both of my arms in one meaty hand while calling for Mdme. Belvaux. She held my hands as Headmaster Dunham duct-taped the half yardstick to my back. I screeched, flailing and fighting like an animal. "Quiet! This is for your own good!" He took the other half and taped it horizontally to my shoulders. Mdme Belvaux let go and I dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes, shaking and choking back bitter tears. Florence stared on in horror as Headmaster Dunham ordered me sat up on a mat and given water, then turned on her. "Cassell, look to Miss Versoni for an example of what will happen to you if you let her lead you astray."

Madame Belvaux resigned by the next morning.

The rest of my years at Notre Dame school were much the same, though less intense by far, but the ramrod straight posture was beaten into me until I graduated (thankfully early), and I don't think I'll ever be rid of it.

Not that a ruthless ballet schedule helped. My teacher loved the posture Headmaster Dunham had drilled into me, especially during endless barre exercies. "Plie. Relevé. Plie. Relevé. En pointe, ladies! Plie. Relevé. Good posture, Katia! Plie. And, stretch." We scooped our feet up in the palms of our heads and lifted them up above our heads, counting to fifteen, then switched.

We sat and laid on our backs, arms crossed tight over our chests and spread our legs into side splits. I grinned as I imagined Alexei groaning in pain, like he did when I stretched at home. "Kat!" He'd whine, "I'm in pain just watching you! 'S not natural!"

"You're not natural," I'd shoot back, and keep stretching.

We stood up in unison, like a menacing herd of wild ballerinas, and on our teacher, Madame Duval's, mark, pirouetted fast, then slow, then en pointe, then slow, then fast.

It was a rigorous, ruthless schedule after that: almost two hours of conditioning and finally, finally, the bliss of dancing. Ballet made me feel beautiful and powerful and free. Madame Duval would rise from her perch at the edge of the floor and occasionally reposition my arms or raise my chin, but her eyes were always shining when she looked at her students.

Ballet nights were always rough when I got home, what with homework and showers and dinner and all that. Having to switch languages every few minutes certainly didn't help either, and certainly not when I had to yell over the sound of Nadia butchering a violin. "Nadia, _Klyanus' bogom, yesli ty ne ostanovish' etot vizg pryamo seychas-_ " I yelled into the living room.

Mama gasped. "Katia! _Scusate la tua sorella!_ "

Nadia appeared in the doorway, holding her violin and scowling. " _Vot pochemu ty nikogda ne vyydesh' zamuzh._ "

"Why, you," I snarled, lunging over the back of the couch, fully intending to deck my sister. A strong pair of arms caught me around the waist and pulled me back. My legs kicked angrily at the air.

"Both of you, shut up!" It was Alexei, ever the peacekeeper.

You know, despite wanting to deck Nadia on a daily basis, and nearly punching Alexei when he broke up our fights, I really do love my siblings.

* * *

 **Hey guys! Guide to the Versoni rambling is down below.**

 **Chapter four of Lightning and Fire should be coming** **soooooooon...I hope.**

 **Love y'all! REVIEW!  
**

 **~Blue**

 **Guide:**

 ** _Klyanus' bogom, yesli ty ne ostanovish' etot vizg pryamo seychas :_ I swear to god, if you don't stop that screeching-**

 ** _Scusate la tua sorella! :_ Apologize to your sister**

 ** _Vot pochemu ty nikogda ne vyydesh' zamuzh. :_ This is why you'll never get married.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! I know I promised an update for Lightning and Fire, but I just can't bring myself to get around to it. I'm trying** **though, but Katia has a HUGE place in my heart right now, and I've got such an amazing story planned for her.  
Enjoy, and REVIEW!**

* * *

It was the day I left for Harvard Medical School, and I was terrified. I had my letter from my birth mother in my bag for my eighteenth birthday.  
Let me clarify.  
I was 16. And I was moving away indefinitely.

My goodbye party consisted of Mama, Papa, Nadia, Alexei, Fidel, Camille, Mdme. Catherine, Fidel's long-time girlfriend Juliette, and his mentor, Dwayne. Mdme. Catherine had made me a special dessert for the ferry to Guadalupe, and Mama had made my lunch. Nadia had braided my hair for the last time, and Alexei had refused to let me sleep alone the night before, resulting in a sibling sleepover, which resulted in Cam and Fidel coming over for breakfast.

I remember, around midnight, I was lying awake, staring out the window at the ocean. I thought Nadia and Alexei were asleep until Alexei rolled over and wrapped his strong arms around my waist. _"Chto eto, malen'kaya sestra?"_

"I'm nervous, Lex. Harvard is so far from here."

He nosed my hair away from my face and pressed his lips to my cheek.

"No matter where you are, no matter how far you go, you will always be _moya sestra_. And I will always be _tvoy brat."_

I rolled over and wrapped my arms right back around his neck, pressing myself as close to him as possible. " _Ya lyublyu tebya, Alexei,"_

The next morning, all three Versoni siblings woke up in a tangle of limbs and long hair - even Alexei had long hair to his shoulders - and in the early sunlight, we split up to put on our suits, then, shrieking, ran out into the waves. The waves were clear and bright teal, shining under the sunrise. Nadia and I tossed our manes and showed off our new bikinis to each other while avoiding Alexei's rogue attempts to drag us under. "And look, Nads, it's got this beading on the front!"

I was just leaning in to show her when the world went wonky and all breath was ripped from my lungs. Realizing I was underwater, I kicked, grabbing my assailant around the neck. He just held me tighter. Realizing this wasn't going to work, I let out all the remaining air in my lungs and slithered out of his grasp.

Alexei and I surfaced, gasping and laughing. His chest made a good solid smack when I hit him. "Don't do that, you idiot! I could have drowned!"

"But you didn't!" We all burst out laughing again, splashing each other until we were sufficiently soaked.

"Katia! Nadia! Alexei! _Colazione!_ " Mama called from the back deck. We'd obviously been out much longer than we intended.

" _Venez, Maman!_ " The three of us chorused, sloshing out of the water. Mama had left towels out on the deck, so we rubbed down our hair and padded into the kitchen. Immediately, we brightened up when we saw our friends in the kitchen.

"Camille! Fidel! When did you get here?" Camille kissed each of my cheeks.

"While you were still in the ocean, you little fish," I laughed. Camille was four years my senior and Nadia's friend first, but we were like sisters when it came down to it.

I looked just over her shoulder and started freaking out, " _Maman! Fais attention! Les œufs sont en feu! Camille, prends de l'eau; Alexei, va chercher papa! Nadia, Fidel, sortez du chemin._ " I cried out, pointing at the blazing mess on the stove. Mama'd stopped to get something out of the fridge, and for some reason, the eggs were on fire. Luckily, Fidel was the only one who didn't speak French, and everyone else got the memo.

Papa came stumbling in, glasses askew. He stopped in the doorway, and I can only imagine what he saw. Mama and Camille were frantically trying to put the fire out; I was standing on the counter, ranting in rapid-fire French as I attempted to turn off the smoke alarm; Alexei was moving everything off of the stove; and Fidel and Nadia were standing on the couch, safely out of the way, watching in horror.

The fact that three of us were half naked probably didn't help.

"Maria," He said calmly, but she didn't hear him. "Maria,"

"LUCIO! We're busy, _caro!_ " Mama screamed. I, however, hopped down from the counter and gave my papa a hug.

" _Buongiorno, Papà,_ " He chuckled and tilted my chin up.

"You," he rumbled, his thick Italian accent washing over me, "I will miss."

"Oh, I'll miss you too, Papa."

I could have let him hold me for the rest of time, but Mama was screeching like a banshee and Fidel looked like a lizard, the way he was perched on the back of the couch, so I supposed I was needed elsewhere.

* * *

 **Short, I know, but it's a filler chapter, just to build up to chapter four.**

 **LOVE YOU!**

 **~Blue**

 _Chto eto, malen'kaya sestra?" - What is it, little sister?_

 _maya sestra - my sister_

 _tvoy brat - your brother_

 _Ya lyublyu tebya, Alexei - I love you, Alexei_

 _Colazione! - Breakfast!_

 _Venez, Maman - Coming, mother!_

 _Maman! Fais attention! Les œufs sont en feu! Camille, prends de l'eau; Alexei, va chercher papa! Nadia, Fidel, sortez du chemin. -_ Mom! Be careful! The eggs are on fire! Camille, take some water; Alexei, get daddy! Nadia, Fidel, get out of the way.

 _caro - dear_

 _Buongiorno, Papà - Good morning, Papa_


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello lovelies! This is honestly one of my favorite parts of Katia's story...most of it is prewritten. I am honestly so thrilled to hear what y'all think. REVIEW!**

* * *

Fast forward several years...I was in my twenties, several medical degrees under my belt, and I was ready to find my birth mother. Her letter was short, but so full of love, I felt like I was dying every minute I wasn't looking for her.

It read:

 _Дорогая Катя,_

 _Вы_ _можете задаться вопросом, если моя мама очень любила меня, почему она прогнать меня? Ответ прост, моя дорогая. Я хочу, чтобы ты жил.  
Моя работа, моя жизнь, не является безопасным. Если моя организация обнаружила тебя, они убьют не только ты, но нас обоих. Это наш единственный вариант.  
Никогда не сомневайтесь мою любовь к тебе, Катя. Посылка тебя это самая трудная вещь, которую я когда-либо делал, и я убийца. Я не знаю, каково это быть без тебя. С тех пор, как я знал, что ты скоро мое, я лелеял вас во всех отношениях. Теперь, когда я пишу это, ты прижалась к моей груди, всего несколько часов назад и полностью красиво. Вы будете в безопасности с вашей новой семьи, Кати, я обещаю вам это.  
Меня зовут Наталья Романова, но ваши родители думают, что я Татьяна Иванова. Если вы хотите, вы можете прийти найти меня, когда вы будете готовы._

 _Любовь всегда,  
Твоя мама  
Наталия_

Or,

 _Dear Katia,_

 _You may wonder, if my mother really loved me, why would she send me away? The answer is simple, my darling. I want you to live._  
 _My work, my life, isn't safe. If my organization discovered you, they'd kill not only you but both of us. It's our only option. Never doubt my love for you, Katia. Sending you away is the hardest thing I've ever done, and I'm an assassin. I don't know what it's like to be without you. Ever since I knew you would soon be mine, I have cherished you in every way. Now, as I write this, you're snuggled against my chest, only a few hours old and completely beautiful. You'll be safe with your new family, Katia, I promise you that._  
 _My name is Natalia Romanova, but your parents think I am Tatiana Ivanov. If you want, you can come find me when you're ready._

 _Love always,_  
 _Your Mama_  
 _Natalia_

I'd spent months trying to find out if the Natalia Romanova from the letter was the same Natasha Romanoff that saved the world a few months earlier. Comparing photographs certainly showed several prominent shared characteristics; the blood red hair, the emerald green eyes, high cheekbones, pouty lips, and nose that tilted up a little at the end.

If nothing else, she looked like she could be my mother...but she was so young! Was this really her?

Months of inner turmoil resulted in a one-way ticket to New York City and Fidel and Dwayne questioning my sanity.

I lifted my phone to my ear and put on my best French accent. It wasn't hard; I just had to mimic Camille. Some desk rep picked up the phone at Avengers Tower. "Avengers Tower, Stark Industries division, how may I help?"

"Uh, yes, I am...reporter. My newspaper ees wanting a story on your Madame Romanoff? Can I make appointment? For interview?"

"Sure! It appears Ms. Romanoff is free at 3:00 this afternoon. Are you free?" I shot up, nearly hitting my head on the roof of the taxi.

"Yes! Yes, I am the city now! _Merci_ ,"

Resisting the urge to let out a wild victory screech, I quickly dialled Camille. " _Camille! Je vais rencontrer ma mère dans une heure! Que fais-je? Elle ne sait même pas qui je suis! Et si elle ne se souvenait pas de moi? Ça fait 23 ans._ "

"Okay, okay, Kat, calm down. You'll do just fine. If she really is your mother, I'm sure she'll remember you and love you very much."

"But what if she doesn't?" I bit my lip and ran a hand through my hair.

"Then," Camille sounded impatient, "you have two more here, on San Marie."

I let out a huge breath of relief. What would I do without Camille? "Thank you so much, Cam. I'll let you know how it goes."

"I'll be counting on it."

"Love you, Cam,"

"Love you, too!"

Changing in the back of a cab is an art that I quickly mastered. I ditched my flight sweats and tugged on black jeans, an olive green tank to rival my Caribbean complexion, and a black bomber jacket. Ruffling out my corkscrew curls, I topped them with a black bandanna, tied in the front. I peeked through the window. "Um, Stark Tower please?" My driver raised an eyebrow.

"You really a French reporter?"

"Of course, silly goose!" I lied in a faux accent, but the dude bought it.

The tower was taller than I originally anticipated. Taking a deep breath, I hauled my backpack over my shoulder as I took the several steps to the double glass doors. I pushed them open and entered the lobby in a miniature whirlwind. "3 o'clock with Mdme. Romanoff?"

"15th floor. Third office on the right."

"Thank you," I offered lamely, shuffling to the elevator.

The third office on the right was very obviously an interview room. I sat in the chair on the non-person-in-charge side, nervously tapping the letter between my hands. I paced a little, glanced at the clock, paced, glanced at the clock, paced, glanced at- "You seem nervous,"

"HOLY mother of Santa Maria, Madre de Jesus, holy virgin of the Lord!" My hand met my chest with a solid smack. I took a deep breath, knowing exactly who I was going to see when I turned around.

Even so, she took my breath away. She was dressed deceptively casually in athletic wear, a water bottle in hand. Her scarlet hair was perfectly in place, even with the slightest sheen of sweat on her brow. I stuck out my hand. "Hi, I'm Katia Versoni."

"Natasha," She remarked, obviously ready to get this over with.

"Um, I only actually have one question for you," I said, fumbling through my bag for the letter. Finding it, I brought the envelope to my lips, then handed it to her. "Do you recognize this?"

Natasha frowned, studying the letter. "This isn't a copy,"

"No, it's original,"

"This was, what, '93?"

"Uh, yeah."

"May 16th?"

"Yeah,"

"What did you say your name was again?"

"Katia Versoni," Natasha was struggling to keep her voice even.

"Are you my daughter?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out." I put a hand over her trembling one. She studied me helplessly.

"I want a DNA test,"

"If you can arrange that, I'm up for it." She pulled out a state of the art Stark phone and raised it to her ear.

"Banner? Can I call in a favor? Yeah, I need you to run some DNA."

* * *

 **CLIFFHANGER!**

 **I am so (not) sorry to do this to** **y'all, but that'll make chapter 5 even better!**

 **I want to hear from you! REVIEW!**

 **Love,  
~Blue**

 **Guide:**

 ** _Camille! Je vais rencontrer ma mère dans une heure! Que fais-je? Elle ne sait même pas qui je suis! Et si elle ne se souvenait pas de moi? Ça fait 23 ans. -_ Camille! I'll meet my mother in an hour! What do I do? She does not even know who I am! What if she does not remember me? It's been 23 years.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Will we find out about Natasha and Katia in this chapter? Maybeeeee...REVIEW!**

* * *

After a moment, Natasha ended the call. She jerked her head towards the door, giving me only a hot second to grab my bag. To my extreme discomfort, she held onto the letter. We rode the elevator in complete awkward silence, stepping out into a lab. "Natasha, hi. You said something about a DNA test?"

A man of slightly small stature and horrible posture meandered over, straightening out his button-up and glasses.

"Yeah. This is Katia. We just want to check out any familial ties." I waved.

The man looked at me for the first time, and his eyes widened. He looked from me to her and back to me and back to her. "Well, I can certainly see why...the resemblance is uncanny." He shook my hand. "Bruce Banner. Nice to meet you."

"Katia Versoni. Likewise."

"Versoni? Is that Italian?"

"Yeah, it is! My parents are from Tuscany." Bruce stuck his hands in his pockets, like we were old pals sitting down for a coffee and chatting.

"Really? You don't look or sound Italian,"

"I grew up in the Caribbean,"

"Oh, nice! Listen, I'm going to need a sample of your spit." I blinked.

"Um…"

"For the DNA test," He clarified. I sighed, mentally bashing myself.

"Oh, right. I knew that. I promise I'm an actual doctor."

Bruce just smiled and swabbed the inside of my mouth, put the swab in a container, then did the same to Natasha. He took them off into the depths of the lab without another word. I rubbed the back of my neck, a nervous habit picked up from Alexei. "So, um, I'll just go check into my hotel...and, um, you can call me? When the results get in, I mean. Um...here's my number,"

I scrawled my number on a napkin from a burger joint, my name hastily scribbled underneath.

"Um, sure," Natasha muttered, staring at my number like it was sick baby bunny.

"Can we maybe, um, open it together?"

"Um, sure,"

"Ok, um...good." I turned to walk away, turned back and waved, then speed-walked away to the elevator. I got to the bottom floor and stepped out onto the busy sidewalk. From there, I decided that my best option was to walk, just to get the idea through my head that I was finally about to find my mother.

My hotel was only a few blocks away, which was good, because a 12+ hour flight is hell on your legs. The air was surprisingly cool for August, and the whole city was alive.

The hotel wasn't as tall as I'd expected, but taller than anything back home. My room was quiet and clean and cool and had a nice view of Central Park from the balcony. I flopped onto the bed, one arm over my face.

Deep breaths, Kat.

Deep breaths.

My phone rang, interrupting my inner mantra. Glancing briefly at the caller ID, I put the phone to my ear. " _Da_ ," I muttered.

" _Katya! Kak proshlo?_ " A loud groan came from my end.

" _Camille skazal vam vse, a_?" Alexei laughed, switching back to English.

"She mentioned it, yes, but only to me so that I could help her get everyone together at the house."

"Snitch,"

"Hey!" He laughed again, but that was far from unusual for him, "She's doing this for you!"

"I know, I'm kidding, Lex. We don't know yet because she wanted a DNA test," I heard a ruffling sound near the phone and knew he was tucking his hair behind his ear.

"Are you nervous?" I groaned.

"Hell, yeah I'm nervous," I rolled over, staring out the window. "I mean, this woman might be my mother."

Alexei started to say something else, but another voice in the background interrupted him. "Sorry, Kat, I have to go. Mama's calling. Call me when you find out, okay?"

" _Konechno_ ," I said. Of course.

" _Ya lyublyu, Katya_ ,"

" _Ya lyublyu._ "

He was gone and I was alone. The sun was still shining through the faint city smog and the pigeons were still crapping all over the place. How could the world still be spinning and operating as normal when my entire existence was at a standstill?

I absentmindedly began tracing the tattoo under my shirt that danced across my forearm, then the one on my hipbone, and the one across my right collarbone. Would Natasha like them? Would she hate them?

My phone rang again, startling me out of my worry-induced nap. I dove across the bed, snatching it and screwing up the covers. "Yes, hello?"

"Katia?"

"Natasha?"

"Yeah. Um, Bruce has the results." My heart skipped a beat.

"I'll be right there." I hung up and literally sprinted out of my room, only bringing my purse, phone, and room key. My hands were sweaty as I dodged native New Yorkers on the hectic sidewalk. "200 Park Avenue. 200 Park Avenue. 200 Park Avenue," I made the address my mantra.

Finally, I was in front of the doors, then in the lobby, then in the elevator. Closer.

Closer.

Closer.

The truth was there, right there.

3 floors.

2 floors.

1 floor.

The doors opened with a whoosh, and there was Natasha, pacing with two envelopes in her hands. She looked up as I crossed the room, purse strap in a death grip. I looked up at her, at the green eyes the same shade as my own.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." She handed me one, wiped her hands on her jeans, then tore hers open. I did the same, hungrily reading the results.

 _DNA very similar. So similar, in fact, you're related._  
 _Natasha, meet your daughter. Katia, meet your mother._  
 _-Bruce_

* * *

 **WOOOOAAAAAHHH! I finally delivered the moment y'all have been waiting for - you're welcome. Tell me what you think!**

 **Guide:**

 _ **Da -**_ **Yes?**

 _ **Katya! Kak proshlo? -**_ **Katia! How was it?**

 ** _Camille skazal vam vse, a? -_ Camille told you everything, huh?**

 ** _Konechno -_ Of course**

 ** _Ya lyublyu Katya_ \- I love you, Katia**

 ** _Ya lyublyu_ \- I love you**


	6. Chapter 6

**This is so exciting! Kat and Natasha's first interaction!**

* * *

I sank onto the couch, sobbing into my hands. _"Oh, grazie Signore, Santa Maria, i santi preziosi di cui sopra. Grazie, grazie, grazie."_

Lifting my eyes to my mother, I saw her in a similar state, slumped on the floor, staring at me like I was water in the middle of an endless desert. At the same time, we got to our feet and met in the middle.

Natasha took my face in her hands, touching my cheeks, my arms, my hair.

 _"Vy nashli menya. Vy nakonets-to nashel menya. O, moy detka, moy detka Katya."_

 _"Mama,"_ It was all I could say as we hugged for the first time in 23 years. The hug was tight and warm and soft and everything a hug should be. I pulled away finally. "Do you want to meet my family? I promised my brother I'd tell him what happened."

Natasha nodded, so I pulled out my phone and FaceTimed Alexei.

After a few rings, he picked up and set the phone where we could see the whole family. I kept Natasha out of the frame for the time being, choosing instead to smile at my family and friends. "Hi, guys!"

"Katia!" They all cheered. I laughed.

"Listen, I've got news,"

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Mama perked up.

"Better," I decided.

"A nice Italian boy?"

"No, Mama. Meet Natasha, everyone." She waved, and they looked confused.

"Katia, I don't understand…" Fidel trailed off, but Alexei and Camille bounced excitedly in their seats, knowing exactly who she was.

"This is my birth mother." The room went silent, then erupted when Alexei and Cam stood up and cheered. I let them gush for a while, then turned to Natasha, who, bless her, looked a tad overwhelmed.

"Hey guys, I'll try to get us down to San Marie soon, but we have to go. Talk to you soon!" I blew kisses and all that mess, then hung up.

Natasha reached up and fixed her perfect hair. "So, who all were they?"  
"Well," I shifted on the couch, holding up a hand and ticking off fingers as I went, "my parents were the ones on the couch, the blonde was my sister, Nadia, and the ones who got up first were my brother Alexei and my best friend Camille. The other two were Cam's mother, Catherine, and my other best friend Fidel." She smiled softly.

"So you've had a good life."

"The best," I grinned. "I speak 17 languages, have 5 medical degrees, 2 science degrees, and started at Harvard when I was 16."

"You're a doctor?"

"Seven times over," I preened.

Natasha looked impressed. She shifted in her seat, unable to look away from me. "Would you be willing to move into the Tower with me?"

"Would I be willing to move into Avengers Tower."

"Yes."

"Are you kidding me,"

"No,"

"You're asking me if I want to live in Avengers Tower. You're honestly asking?"

"Um...yes."

"Tell me this;" I smiled, wrinkling my nose at her, "who do you know who wouldn't want to live here?"  
Natasha grinned at me, and I got the feeling that that was a rare treat. I couldn't help but stare. My mother was so unbelievably beautiful…

"Natasha? Could you come down to the-" A remarkably large man with the shoulder-waist ratio of a Dorito and perfect blond hair strode into the room, StarkPad in hand. Upon seeing me, however, he stopped and flushed a little. "Um, hello, ma'am." I snorted.

"Don't call me ma'am, Captain," I scolded teasingly, emphasizing my San Marie accent, "I'm only 23."

He held out his hand.

"Steve Rogers,"

"Katia Versoni-Romanoff," I replied, glowing with pride. Natasha made a noise behind me like a startled zebra, and I knew somehow that she felt the same way. Steve wasn't surprised to hear it, though.

"You two are related, right? You look a lot alike."

Natasha came up and wrapped an arm around me, smiling smugly.

"I wouldn't have it any other way,"

Steve flushed, and I really didn't want to know what he was thinking. He excused himself and retreated to God knows where, and mother and daughter were alone again. "Do you...um...do you want to talk to Tony about moving in?"

"Can it wait? Until tomorrow, I mean...I just don't want to rush anything," I stammered. Natasha nodded.

"At least stay for dinner, though."

"I will," I promised, reclining against the back of the couch. "This is so surreal,"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I never thought I'd actually find you! This is the kind of thing you see in Hallmark movies, not in real life!" Natasha settled next to me, crossing her toned legs one over the other.

"I thought the same thing. I didn't even know where you were, or if you were safe." The intensity of her gaze should have been intimidating, but instead, I just felt...loved, and unbelievably safe.

I set my phone and purse on the coffee table. "I'm sure you have questions."

"Lots," She laughed.

"Ask away," I said, gesturing boldly.

"Where did you grow up?"

"Tuscany until I was about four, and then this speck of an island in the Caribbean called San Marie." I illustrated by making my fingers into the tiniest circle I could

"Where did you get your degrees?"

"Harvard, Yale, and Oxford." She raised her eyebrows.

"And...two siblings, right?"

"Yep. Nadia and Alexei. They're from Russia, too. Nad's from St. Petersburg, and Lex is from Moscow. Um...where exactly am I from?"

Natasha smiled. "You were born in Stalingrad."

"Stalingrad…" I murmured. "This really is a day of answers, isn't it?" Natasha smiled, then cocked her head to the side, like a curious cat.

"Your accent - is that what all the people on the island sound like?"

I shrugged.

"Pretty much. Mine is a combination of Italian and French though, and it gets a little wonky when I switch languages too fast."

"Oh, the agony of knowledge," Natasha teased. I stuck my tongue out.

Eventually, we got the message from J.A.R.V.I.S. that dinner was ready in the dining area. I will forever swear that my first time hearing the AI most certainly did not scare the crap out of me.

Natasha snickered all the way up to dinner.

* * *

 **There we go! Let me know what you think in the reviews!**

 **Guide:**

 ** _Oh, grazie Signore, Santa Maria, i preziosi santi sopra. Grazie, grazie, grazie._ : Oh, thank you Lord, Santa Maria, the precious saints above. Thank you thank you thank you **

**_Vy nashli menya. Vy nakonets-to nashel menya. O, moy detka, moy detka Katya._ :You found me. You finally found me. Oh, my baby, my baby Katya.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Howdy y'all! Shoutout to Wolfy-Queen and ThePhantomismyLove before we begin, for reviewing the last chapter! Sorry it took me so long, but I've been obsessed with Sweetdixie.17's works. If you love LoTR/The Hobbit, go check her out IMMEDIATELY. She's so fabulously talented y'all.**

* * *

The doors swished open, and Natasha looped an arm through mine to lead me out. I tossed my mane self-consciously. "Shush, they'll love you."

"I wish," I muttered through gritted teeth, "I had your confidence."

"Comes with not giving a damn."

""I should try it sometime."

The man I recognized as Tony Stark was lounging in a backed barstool, beer in hand. "Natasha, who's the date?" He taunted, flashing us an infectious grin.

"Katia, these are my teammates, Tony Stark, Thor Odinson, Clint Barton, and you already know Bruce and Steve. That's also Tony's girlfriend, Pepper Potts." I leaned forward and shook all of their hands.

"Hi, all. I'm Katia Versoni-Romanoff." Bruce smiled knowingly.

"Romanoff? Is that not Friend Natasha's surname?" The man, unmistakably Thor, rumbled from his spot across the room.

"It's mine, now, as well," I smiled slyly, tightening my grip on my mother's hand.

"Woah, now...are you two...a thing?" Tony suddenly looked much more interested. I snorted.

"Define 'thing'," Natasha challenged.

"You know," Tony stammered, "a thing…"

"Are you dating?" Clint summed up. I can genuinely say I've never laughed so hard in my entire life.

"Oh," gasp, "GOD," wheeze, "noooo," I held onto the table to keep myself up. Natasha grinned, obviously trying to keep her reputation together. "Nonono, we're not dating. That would be illegal on so many levels...oh my god," I wiped tears from my eyes.

"Then you're related?" Pepper, bless her, stepped in.

"Yeah," We grinned at each other. I squeezed Natasha's hand, letting her say it.

"This is my daughter."

You could have heard a pin drop in the silence. Then, came the cacophony of questions. Mostly stuff along the lines of, "THE HECK?"

Clint was different, though. Like he was happy shocked, not confused shocked.

"You're her Katia?"

"Yeah, I am," Before I could say another word past that, I was wrapped up in a blanket of biceps. Clint had me so close to his chest that I could barely hear him congratulating Natasha. "Can't-breathe!"

"Oh, shoot, sorry sweetheart!" He laughed, letting me go with a pat on the head. I stuck my tongue out and put my hand on my hips.

"Were you planning on telling Natasha about that cut on your shoulder? It's a little infected from the feel of it, even if I haven't taken a look." Clint blinked.

"Uh," He unconsciously scooted away, but Natasha fixed him with a glare.

"Let her take a look, Barton. She'll be gentle, don't you worry."

I smiled.

"I'm a doctor, Barton, trust me. It won't hurt."

Fast forward ten minutes to Natasha and Tony trying to hold down a flailing Clint as Bruce and I worked as quickly as humanly possible to clean the cut. "YOU SAID IT WOULDN'T HURT!" Clint hollered.

"Well, it's your fault for letting it get to this point-" here I dodged a leg, "-And I'm just trying to help-" his Adidas slide flew off and I ducked, "-you with this. I'm not the bad guy, Barton."

"YOU ARE RIGHT NOW." Tony whapped him upside the head.

"You're being stupid. Knock it off before I sedate you."

I glared. "You'll do no such thing." When Clint continued to kick and holler, I climbed onto the table and sat on the back of his thighs, pinning him down. "Kinky," Tony teased.

"I swear to god, Tony, I will harpoon you."

"Somehow, I don't doubt that," Bruce muttered and Natasha snorted.

"That's my girl."

What seemed like an eternity later, I'd managed to pin Clint down long enough for Bruce and me to clean out his cut, bandage it, and prescribe some antibiotics. He sat on the table, rubbing his shoulder gingerly and scowling. I pulled back my latex glove and snapped it against his leg.

He yelped and sat up, glaring at me. "Oh, lighten up, grandpa."

"'M not a grandpa," He grumbled, but I heard laughter in his voice.

Tony stuck his head out from under a desk across the room, StarkPhone held to one ear and yelled across to us, "Hey, guys! Steve wants to know who's in on takeout."

I frowned. "I thought Jarvis said that dinner was ready?"

"Nah," Bruce shrugged, "That's just how we get everyone in the same room to decide on what we're eating. We'd all end up fighting otherwise."

"That," I decided, "makes an alarming amount of sense. Ten years ago, my mother would have paid your weight in gold for that idea. We fought all the time over food."

"You and your mom?" Clint asked. I shook my head and blew into a glove until it filled up.

"No, I have a brother and a sister. Both older."

"Yeesh, that's rough. Lemme guess, you never won the food war?"

"Nope," I grinned wildly, drawing a smiley face on the swollen blue palm. "Just on my birthday. Not for lack of trying on my part, but my brother had this nasty habit of getting me in a choke hold without Mama noticing."

"Nice guy," Tony deadpanned. I snorted.

"Well, I mean, he is now. He works for Samaritan's Purse, building housing and schools and wells and whatever. Just got back from Indonesia."

"And Nadia?" Natasha piped up.

"Another goody-two-shoes." I grumbled teasingly, "They make me look bad. She's a schoolteacher in Uganda."

Clint whistled through his teeth, a cheeky look on his face. "Jeez, they do make you look bad." I gasped and hit him with my glove balloon.

"I was going to give you that for being such a good little patient, but now…"

"No! I want the glove balloon, dammit," He laughed and swiped at it.

I held it up and danced out of his reach. "Down, boy,"

"GUYS!" Tony yelled and I froze. "Again, who's in for takeout?"

"Me," Bruce called.

"Over here," Natasha raised a finger.

"I'm assuming the children are in too," Tony glared at us, and Clint and I stuck our tongues out at each other.

"I'm paying for mine, someone else is gonna have to cover Clint." Natasha quipped, and my cheeks must have matched my hair, going by the temperature.

"It's gonna take a while to get used to that."

* * *

 **Aww! Nat and Kat are bonding! Also, I LOVE Clint and Kat in this scene. More of them?**

 **Let me know!**

 **Love, Blue**


	8. Chapter 8

**Well I'm not dead. Sorry for the long wait, I know it's been forever...**

* * *

Never let it be said that dinner with the Avengers is not a contact sport. Scratch that, it should be an Olympic contact sport. I sat between two of the beefiest beefcakes to ever walk the face of the earth: Thor and Clint. Even though Clint was dwarfed by the demigod and the resident super soldier, he more than held his own when it came to fighting for the best of the takeout.

I gathered that it would be better for my overall health if I left the food fighting to the supers and just sat back, watching the carnage with a vaguely amused smirk.

"Hey, Kat, you eating?" I shook my head at Clint.

"I'm waiting until my hand won't get eaten if I put it out there." He snorted into his lo mein.

"Smart kid you got, Nat." I gasped.

"Oh no," When Clint and Natasha looked worriedly at me, I clarified: "Nat and Kat!"

With cheeks full of rice, Tony did his best not to spray it across the room when he started laughing. Barely containing his glee, our gracious host wiped rice from his goatee and, with no small amount of trouble, managed to swallow all the food in his mouth.  
He coughed twice. "Please tell me you're putting that on a shirt."

I looked across at Natasha.

" _Pozhaluysta, skazhi mne, chto my ne stavim eto na rubashku_." She snorted.

" _Net, ne budem_." I'd gathered the courage to nab a spring roll, and chewed contentedly before answering, this time in Japanese, to mess with Clint.

 _"Osoraku pāka, matawa magukappu_ ," She nodded with a little smirk, balling up a greasy napkin in one hand and leaning back in her chair.

" _Matawa magukappu_."

Clint frowned. "I know that was Japanese, but I'm lost in translation."

" _Das alter kommt zu uns allen,_ " I teased and watched his face as he caught on.

He gasped dramatically, channeling his inner drag queen.

"I KNEW IT! I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE!" He pulled me into his side, grappling me into a half nelson. "Your brother had the right idea,"

I could only laugh, worming my fingers to the exact spot I needed them.

"Clint, you're forgetting something. My brother's been pulling this trick for eighteen years." When he turned to look at me funny, I jabbed my fingers into his side and pressed.

He jerked, releasing my head and scrabbling at my hand. "Omigod that shouldn't tickle but it does omigod omigod-"

Natasha hid a smile in her beer. Tony didn't bother, snickering openly and wiping duck sauce from his goatee with a folded paper napkin. He wasn't the only one, though. I spotted a certain doctor and supersoldier trying to keep quiet down the table as Clint struggled to contain his squeals.

"Ok, ok, I yield!" I smirked and let him go, scooping up the last egg roll.

"Oldest siblings don't have all the tricks."

* * *

 **Guys! Go read Morgana Deryn and IronSparrow99. Also, blame them for my prolonged absense from FF. Also, I know it's a short chapter, but I'm working on it!**

 **~ Blue**

 **Guide:**

 ** _Pozhaluysta, skazhi mne, chto my ne stavim eto na rubashku_ : Please tell me that we're not putting that on a shirt**

 ** _Net, ne budem_ : No, we will not.**

 ** _Osoraku pāka, m_ _atawa magukappu:_ Maybe a hoodie, or a mug.**

 ** _Matawa magukappu:_ Or a mug.**

 ** _Das alter kommt zu uns allen_ : Old age comes to us all**


	9. Chapter 9

**Blue's back, baby. I know I** **suck at updating but school sucks more than me.**

* * *

When the eight of us had eaten, I took a moment to glance over at my mother again, sitting straight and confident, the only female Avenger, and reigning queen of Stark tower. I felt a surge of pride. _That's my mother._

She leaned forward on her elbows and looked towards Tony. "Katia can move in, right?"

He stared at her.

She stared back.

He caved.

"Yes, fine, whatever. No, please, go ahead and commandeer my tower for whatever you want, it's not like I own it or anything." I shifted in my seat awkwardly.

"I won't do anything you don't want me to." Natasha and Tony both turned to look at me. "I mean, it _is_ his tower… I'm not going to live here if he doesn't want me to."

"Yeah, ok, she can stay." The billionaire decided after a moment and shrugged, burying himself in his StarkPhone.

"Tony," Pepper scolded between sips of wine, "no holograms at the table," I hid a snort in my sleeve as Tony looked at her, completely betrayed.

"It's like living with my mother," he grumbled, shoving his phone back into his pocket with a sigh. I laughed.

"Then your mother was much nicer about it than mine. One sight of a phone at the table, and all hell broke loose." Bruce nodded.

"My mom was the same way with comic books. Oh, man," he shook his head fondly, laughing at the happy memories from a simpler time, "she used to get _so mad_ , I thought her head would explode."

Natasha allowed herself a fond expression as she propped her chin on her fist. "I'd like to meet this mother of yours, Kat,"

I put my hands up. "I'm one-hundred and one percent sure she feels exactly the same. And when she finds out I've got a place here," I widened my eyes and shook my head a little, "Tony, you better be ready for Hurricane Maria. She will be here _all the time_."

Poor thing, he looked for all the world like he was regretting agreeing to let me stay. I snagged a few potstickers with lightning-fast chopsticks, wrapping a protective arm around my plate. "Actually, now that I think about it, there are more upsides than down to my mama staying here. I mean, she's a professional Italian cook…"

Tony sat up, looking a little perkier. Pepper patted his hand and set her wine glass down. "Well, in that case, you can both stay as long as you like."

I laughed and shook my head, glancing up at the sunset out one of the enormous windows on the wall opposite me.

"Bribery. Works every time."

Natasha met my eyes with a hopeful smile. "You'll stay?"

I shrugged. "I got the okay from Tony, so I might as well."

Her smile could have lit up the entire city, plus Brooklyn, all on its own.

"But," I held up a finger and it shrunk by a few molars. "I need to find a job here first. I will _not_ be a sponge."

"We're all sponges," Clint tried to reason.

"Yeah, but you also go out and save the world every other day."

He nodded, conceding the point. Bruce leaned forward, trying to see me around Thor's breathtakingly impressive biceps. "You can come work in the lab with me. How's your biochemistry?"

"A little rusty," I admitted, "but I bet I'll be good as new after a few days with you."

"It'll be nice to have an extra pair of hands in the medbay too."

Tony and Pepper shared a contemplative look reminiscent of the ones my parents shared at the dinner table when Alexei or Nadia had asked to go out and do something potentially stupid. Tony eventually shrugged, evidently leaving all decision making up to Pepper. Smart man.

Pepper patted Tony's hand fondly, then rested her elbows on the table, fixing me in her gaze. "Katia, we'd be thrilled to take you on."

I bit my lip to smother a thrilled shriek and got up, running around the table to throw my arms around her. A little shocked, she patted me on the back. "Thank you," I murmured, "You've given me a chance to know my mother."

I locked eyes with Natasha. This was going to be amazing.

* * *

 **Sorry it took so long. Love you all!**


	10. Author's Note

Hi guys, it's Blue. I know that this is _not_ the update you wanted, but I've come to the realization that a _lot_ of my characters in OON are _way_ out of character. Like, super horrendously out of character, and I'm really not here for that.

I really did my best to write Natasha to the best of my ability and really do her justice, and in that I lost sight of how other characters acted and operated and I forgot that I was writing _people_ not just baseless characters.  
I watched Civil War for the first time in a while the other night and I realized I have been doing Clint pretty dirty. Yes, he's funny and sarcastic, but he's not just rambling goofball. He's so much mature and dignified than I've been writing him, so that's going to be changing. Clint's not going to stop being funny, by any means, but he's going to get a major makeover.

I spite of all that, I think I nailed Tony pretty well.

So, after saying all that, I'm going to get right to work on the next chapter of OON and *hopefully* have it up later today or tomorrow.

Without further delay, I'm going to get to work, but I wanted you all to know that I'm hopefully going to get back into the swing of things and get back to updating and really checking my work before I share it with you all.

xxBlue


	11. Chapter 10

**WOWOWOWOW SHOUTOUTS:**

 **Wolfy-Queen : You're a doll, and these are exactly the types of reviews I LOVE to read. People like you are why I keep writing!**

 **Guest : *pterodactyl screech* YOUR REVIEW MADE ME SO HAPPY. I'm so glad you like OoN, considering you normally don't like OC stories...comment anytime, lovely.**

 **thewritevoice : Sorry it takes me so long! Life is crazy, and writing isn't always something I have time for, but I'd love to hear your feedback so that I can know what my readers want to see. That sometimes makes it easier to write. **

**The Blue Monster Cake:** **Wow! I have to say, after weeks and months of writer's block, your review really gave me a kick in the butt! I'll be sure to keep them salty!**

 **KitCatWolfMCSW:** **You're amazing. Thank you for your support, that was exactly what I needed to hear!**

* * *

Turns out, by pure coincidence only, Natasha's was the only occupied apartment on her floor, with two other empty ones just waiting for someone to come on in and make them theirs. Fortunately, I was the only one sane (insane?) enough to want to share a floor with the Black Widow, so when Tony gave me the keys to the apartment next to my mother, I knew this was gonna be the party pad of Stark Tower.

Steve and Clint offered to come with us back to my hotel to grab my stuff. I just stared at them. "But...why? It's just a suitcase?"

Natasha pursed her lips. "Kat, they're coming for your protection."

I frowned. "Really? But no one knows except the people who were at dinner. Guys, I can go get the suitcase myself, you're overreacting."

Natasha scowled and Clint rubbed the back of his neck. "You know, Nat, maybe we are. Seeing her with us will put her on the grid."

"You're right," Natasha sighed, "she's not tied to us yet. Let her have her freedom while it lasts."

"Guys, this is a little intense. I'm just gonna go." I grabbed my purse off the back of a chair, slung it over my shoulder, and stepped into the elevator. The three of them exchanged looks, then filed in next to me. "I thought we agreed I was going alone."

"Well, it's gonna look like you are. I'll follow."

"For the love of- you're all impossible. I'm moving back to San Marie." I muttered teasingly. Natasha scowled at me. "Only teasing, Natasha, I swear."

Clint leaned over. "Don't worry Nat, we won't let her get too far." I rolled my eyes.

"I'd be worried, but you forget that I know that you know where I live, because I'm the one that _told you_."

"No, she told _me_ where she lived. _You_ just know the island." Natasha snapped.

"There are a lot of things you don't know that I know,"

"Like what?"

"Like your phone password."

" _You thieving little_ -"

Steve shook his head. "Katia, would you mind if I came with you?" I smiled, pleasantly surprised at this development.

"It would be my pleasure, Captain."

He took my arm and led me out of the elevator, leaving the squabbling super spies behind. "The pleasure is all mine, Miss Versoni. You know, Italy was my favorite place out of all the places in Europe I went during the War."

And so the good Captain and I strolled along Park Avenue as the sun sank overhead, his ball cap and hoodie doing surprisingly well at hiding him from the general populous.

We slipped out of the lobby of my hotel, opting to take the stairs up to my room. Around the sixth floor, however, I was feeling very different about everything.

"This is stupid. We should have taken the elevator."

Steve shot me an amused look. "Getting tired?"

I snorted. "Not yet. I am bored, though."

He smiled and nodded. "I'm impressed, I gotta admit."

We rummaged through my room, making sure I hadn't forgotten anything, then crowded back into the elevator to ride back down to the lobby so I could check out.

Steve perked up, looking bizarrely like a golden retriever. "Wait-"

"What?"

"I know this song! This," he pointed up at the speaker in the corner of the elevator, "This is Bing Crosby!"

I laughed at his excitement and he smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I don't recognize songs very often."

"No, no it's fine, I'm just enjoying your enjoyment. This my mama's favorite song, too. She used to dance in the kitchen while she cooked and then pull her record player out onto the veranda while we ate."

"My mom listened to music while she cooked, too." We gave each other starry-eyed looks of awe at the coincidence.

Steve seemed a little preoccupied while I checked out, but that might have been because of the small army of teeny-tiny fangirls that came stampeding through the lobby with their monstrous suitcases and matching t-shirts that read ' _The Future Mrs. America!_ " with the unmistakable red white and blue shield underneath in colored rhinestones. The good captain made a hasty retreat to hide in some potted plants.

When we joined back up to leave, I shot him a skeptical look. "' _The Future Mrs. America_ '? What's that all about?" He groaned.

"Yeah, that's Tony. He posted videos of me sparring and," his smile disappeared, "it all snowballed from there."

"Oh, god." I snorted. "That's actually hilariously unfortunate." He nudged me playfully in the shoulder and I did my very best not to flinch. The man was a stupidly strong, muscley powerhouse.

"Do you...want to get a cab or something? I mean, do you really want to drag that suitcase all the way back to the tower?"

I paused. "Yeah, you're right. This is dumb, I'm being dumb."

Steve just laughed and stuck his hand out to hail a cab. "Just blame the jet lag."

"Steve, we're in the same time zone." He shook his head and opened the cab door.

"Just get get in the cab, Kat." I shoved his shoulder and crammed my case into the trunk.

We sat together in the back as close as we could get to both see out the middle, gazing up at the odd combination of skyscrapers and park. There was nothing like that where I was from, just little colorful shacks co-existing with the jungle and the sea.

"Hey, Katia?"

"Yes, Steve?"

"Do you know how to dance?"

"Just ballet. I'm hopeless at anything else."

"Perfect, me too." He took a breath. "There's this club a couple blocks down, do you want to go dancing some time?"

"I take it this isn't just some club."

"No, it's been here since the war. Wanna go?"

I turned and looked up at America's Golden Boy. "Why the hell not?"

That smile was worth all the embarrassment sure to come.

* * *

 **And there it is! The promised chapter, sort of on time!**

 **Reviewwwww**

 **Blue xx**


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